USA Reddit wants to overturn social media ban in Australia
The recent social media ban for children under the age of 16 in Australia is being challenged in court by the online platform Reddit. The forum operator has lodged an appeal with the Australian High Court, arguing that the ban is unlawful because it restricts the freedom of political communication. Reddit also referred to a second point: even if the court were to find the ban to be legal, Reddit - unlike other platforms - does not fall under the definition of social media.
12.12.2025, 05:23
SDA
Reddit is one of the services where users under the age of 16 are no longer allowed to have an account since the new rules came into force on December 10. Nine other providers such as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are also affected.
Among other things, Reddit uses software to estimate the age of users. Anyone deemed to be younger than 16 is asked to prove their age.
Ban should give time for development
The government's online safety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, counters complaints about the controversial ban by saying that giving children and young people later access to social media gives them time to develop without their harmful influence. Messaging services, email, voice and video calls, online games and educational services are not covered by the ban. This excludes WhatsApp and the gaming platform Roblox, for example.
Reddit points out that under Australian law, exchanges on political topics may only be restricted in justified cases and in a moderate manner. However, the ban would blanketly exclude all users under the age of 16 from political communication on online platforms. Reddit calls the selection of which services are affected and which are not "illogical".
Reddit: Not part of social media
Reddit argues that as the forums are run by users themselves, they are not a social media platform in the true sense of the word. Only those who are interested in certain topics access the site specifically. Also, unlike other platforms, Reddit does not ask its users for permission to upload their contacts so that they can find people they know. Furthermore, the ban does not actually apply to services where - as in the case of Reddit - content is visible to everyone even without registration.
The government in Canberra introduced the law a year ago, making Australia a global pioneer. Almost all major parties supported the initiative of the government of Social Democratic Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The platforms were given twelve months to implement the new age restriction.
